The start of production on the fifth installment of Disney's multibillion-dollar "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has been delayed until at least this fall, prompting the studio to change its projected release date from July 10, 2015, to "Unset."

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told The Hollywood Reporter that there are issues with the script (something that's probably pretty common when you're on to Popcorn Movie No. 5) and they're hoping to get the show on the high seas by summer 2016.

But they better hurry up before the end comes nigh for franchise cornerstone Johnny Depp.

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The 50-year-old actor, who at this time is the only returning star officially attached to "Pirates 5" (which is currently listed on IMDb as "POTC: Dead Men Tell No Tales"), told the BBC in July that his retirement from moviemaking is "probably not too far away."

Of course, that may just have been "Lone Ranger" burnout talking--a feeling Disney is more than familiar with.

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The $250 million flop may result in a reported $190 million write-down for the studio, so there must be concerns that even having Captain Jack Sparrow aboard won't be enough to carry a "Pirates" film into the black if the script isn't ship-shape.

Jeff Nathanson is working on the screenplay for "Pirates 5" and Joachim Rnning and Espen Sandberg are signed up to direct.

"We have an outline everyone loves but the script is not done...We want a script that everyone's signed off on and a budget that everyone's signed off on," Bruckheimer told THR.

The first four "Pirates" films grossed more than $3.7 billion at the box office worldwide.